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What's Up Parenting - Vaccines

I want to
start by saying that I can’t and don’t speak for everyone who has chosen to
forgo vaccinating their children. We are all parents who started this journey from
different places and for different reasons: some for religious reasons, some as
an element of their choice to live as naturally as possible, and most of us followed
a gut instinct that led to many, many hours of research, which in turn led us
to the same informed decision: the risks out-weigh the benefits.

We aren’t a
group of conspiracy theorists and we aren’t fearful people. In fact, when the
CDC did a study to try to figure out how to ‘sell’ us the idea of vaccines,
their marketing profile revealed generally highly educated, middle-to-upper
class parents who have done a significant amount of research. They concluded that a campaign to win us over
would be a costly venture with little to no benefit to them.§

My family’s
decision doesn’t come from a fear of autism or from anti-vaccine propaganda. We fit that CDC profile and read everything
we can find, including endless pro-vaccine articles and studies, statistical,
medical, and epidemiology studies, and scientific data not only disproving the safety
of vaccines, but also proving the lack of evidence that they even work. It
would be impossible to share every single reason that we don’t participate in
our national vaccine program without over-whelming you with detail and
references, so with limited space I will give you some of the major points that
led to our decision. If you want to read further or wish to see the reference
materials, indicated by § symbol, please see the vaccine page (where I have extensive research and hundreds of peer reviewed scientific
studies to back our stance) or visit the various websites I have listed at the
end of this article.

1. Did/Do Vaccines really Eradicate Disease?

The
incidence and mortality rates of childhood diseases declined by more than 95%
during the first half of the 20th century, before vaccines were even
introduced.§ In the early 1960s, rates
of measles cases and deaths fell over 99% — before the introduction of the
vaccination in 1968.§ The same is true for many other diseases. In the 1960s, nutrition and sanitation improved immensely,
as did access to medical care. These measures had a much larger effect on rates
of illness and related complication than did vaccination. It would be
disingenuous to credit the vaccine with this improvement in health.

2. Vaccine Contents

Vaccines
contain hundreds of ingredients.§ In
addition to the virus itself (either weakened or inactivated) there are
chemicals that boost the immune reaction - aluminum, squalene, monophosphoryl
lipid A,orsodium borate(a very common roach killer).
Preservatives like Thimerosal (aka mercury, which can still be found in the flu
and Hib vaccines in Canada, and which is still used in the manufacturing
process -- trace amounts can be found in ALL vaccines, even ones that claim to
be thimerosal free.) In Pentacel, which is the combination of DTPaP+Hib
vaccines and is injected into most Canadian babies starting at two months of
age, thimerosal was replaced by the preservative 2-phenoxyethanol, another
toxic substance usually found in antifreeze.§ Formaldehyde is another commonly
used preservative.

Human
diploid cells (aborted fetal tissue), monkey kidney cells or chicken embryos
are the mediums used to grow the viruses. MSG (a known neurotoxin) is found in
varicella (measles vaccine) and flumist (flu vaccine)§. Despite popular belief
and the assurance of studies, only two of
the possible 36 shots pumped into Canadian infants have been studied and
only one ingredient (Thimerosal) §. In
Canada,
finding complete lists of ingredients is difficult. Health Canada protects the “proprietary
rights” of pharmaceutical companies, so manufacturers are not required to
disclose the ingredients or manufacturing processes used in vaccines.§

3. Herd Immunity

The herd
immunity theory was originally developed in 1933 by a researcher named Hedrich,
who had been studying measles patterns in the US between 1900-1931 (decades before
any vaccine was invented for measles). He
observed that measles epidemics occurred only when less than 68% of children
had developed a natural immunity to it. This was based upon the principles that
children build their own immunity after contracting or being exposed to the
disease, and that naturally-acquired immunity lasts for a lifetime. Hedrich
concluded that, if 68% of the population were allowed to build their own
natural defenses, there would be no raging epidemic. So the herd immunity
theory was, in fact, about natural disease processes and nothing to do with
vaccination. §

Later on, vaccinologists co-opted the phrase herd immunity and increased the figure from 68% to 95% with no
scientific justification as to why. They then stated that there had to be 95%
vaccine coverage to achieve immunity.§

Apart from
the effect of vaccinations on babies, vaccine-induced
immunity lasts for only a relatively short period, from 2 -10 years at most§.
So there is a need for boosters for most vaccines, even the common childhood
infections such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella. Another problem:
the boosters last for only two years, even less§. It’s estimated that a very
small percentage of adults are up to date on their boosters. § So this really begs
the question: If achieving vaccine-induced herd immunity requires 95% participation of
the population,, and given that boosters wear off and adults don’t keep them up
to date, WHY aren’t millions of adults and unvaccinated people of all ages
dying or suffering from these dangerous vaccine-preventable diseases?

4. The Immune SystemA healthy
immune system is dynamic, able to switch back and forth as needed, quickly
eradicating one threat and then resting before responding to the next. There are two parts to your immune system – Th-1 (T Helper 1) and Th-2 (T Helper 2). Th-1 goes after organisms
that get inside our cells, such as viruses. Th2 attacks extracellular pathogens
(organisms that are found outside the cells in blood and other tissue) such as
most bacteria, yeast and parasites. It has
only very recently become understood how vaccines affect Th1 and Th2. Vaccination stimulates the immune system just
enough so that it makes antibodies (Th2) and "remembers" the disease
antigen, but not so much that it provokes an acute inflammatory response from
the cells (Th1).§

Contrary to previous belief, vaccinations do not strengthen or "boost" the whole immune
system. Instead, they over-stimulate Th2 and suppress Th1, thus
"preventing" the disease in question.§ In reality, what is
prevented is not the disease but the ability of our cellular immune system to
respond to, and overcome the disease.

Problems
arise when the immune system is not yet developed, overly stressed, or out of
balance. If the Th1 system is dominating, it can lead to autoimmune diseases
such as high/low thyroid, arthritis, lupus or multiple sclerosis, while an
overactive Th2 system leads to allergic diseases such as hives, allergies and
asthma.

Newborns’ immune systems
are naturally fragile in the first weeks or months of life. They are Th-2
heavy, and more susceptible to illness. A vaccine keeps them in TH-2 mode far
longer than they would naturally be, weakening their immune systems and
teaching the whole system to react incorrectly for life.§

It is also known that
children’s blood-brain barriers remain permeable for at least the first two
years of their lives (some scientists say much longer). This means that any
vaccine they receive can cross from their bloodstreams into their brains and
cause neurological damage.§5. Vaccines
and other DiseasesVaccines
are not linked only to childhood disorders. Considering that they change
the immune system, they are suspected to be behind all autoimmune disorders
such as allergies, diabetes, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), intestinal
disorders (IBS & IBD), paralytic symptoms such as Guillaine Barre Syndrome,
glandular disorders, certain cancers, increased stress, psychiatric and
personality disorders, and rheumatic and arthritic ailments§

There is also growing concern that the mercury and aluminum
found in vaccines contributes to brain diseases like Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s. And in children these vaccine ingredients are known to trigger
eczema, asthma, meningitis, encephalopathy and epilepsy.§

6. Vaccine Research

Most
vaccine research is funded by the companies who make the vaccines – the
pharmaceuticals industry. Very little independent research is conducted. In
most drug trials, the experimental group receiving a new vaccine is not compared
against a control group receiving a true placebo (i.e. saline solution). Instead, control
groups receive a previously licensed vaccine, or a vaccine with the virus
removed, both of which still contain all the preservatives and other chemicals,
and of course so does the new vaccine being tested.§ This procedure skews the
results so that the vaccine looks “safe”, since the experimental group has no more adverse reactions than the
“control” group. It doesn’t take a scientific mind to discern the difference
between “no increase in adverse reactions” and “no adverse reactions”. Therefore
the type/intensity/character of the reactions caused by vaccine ingredients
aren’t even considered relevant to the study.

7.Autism

If you
listen to the vaccine industry, including of course the scientists whose
research they fund, you’ll hear that the case is closed on the link between
vaccines and autism, and that the scientific consensus supports no
association. Their spokespeople will
cite their ‘19 studies’ have found no connection between vaccines and autism.
Well, the devil is in the details.

All 19 studies only looked at
the MMR vaccine and Thimerosal. No other shots or ingredients have been
studied for links to autism§

All 19 studies had ties to and/or
were funded by pharmaceuticals or the CDC§

Numerous independent studies
have replicated the findings of Dr. Andrew Wakefield§, who was the original
whistleblower of a possible connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.
You may have heard of Dr. Wakefield, who was attacked by big pharma in a
BIG way.§

8. Drug Laws and Who is Responsible

Vaccine and
drug manufacturers are the second largest lobbying group in the US,
and the CDC is their primary target. This power trickles into Canada, with Health
Canada and public health agencies, who are also vulnerable to big pharma
lobbyists, trying to follow CDC vaccine recommendations.§

In 1986 in
the US,
the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was passed, protecting all vaccine manufacturers
from liability. Since 1986, the
childhood vaccine schedule has almost tripled.§

Also in
1986, the US
established “Vaccine Court”,
which administers a no-fault system for litigating vaccine injury claims. Since
the first Vaccine Injury Compensation claims were made in 1989, more than $2,009,309,528.93
(that’s $2B) has been disbursed to
petitioners after courts found they had been injured by a vaccine, and $65,648,518.12
paid to cover attorneys’ fees and other legal costs. Compensated families are
forced to sign a silence agreement and will lose their financial settlements if
they talk about their cases.§Financial compensation awarded by the
Vaccine Court is funded by the 75 cents the user (or
their insurance company) pays every time a vaccine is given in the US.§ So
consumers compensate injured consumers. The vaccine manufacturers are not held
liable.

Unlike many
western countries which recognize and compensate vaccine injuries, Canada offers no recognition of injury or
compensation when vaccine damage occurs – except for the province of Quebec.
Your only recourse is to sue the doctor or nurse who administered the vaccine,
by claiming they didn’t follow the protocol of ‘Informed Consent’. The case is then handled as a liability case
in Tort law, and is very difficult to win.

Canadian
health officials keep vaccine reaction reports under wraps. Unlike the U.S. where the
VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) is accessible on line and anyone
can search it. Canadians do not have access to the vaccine reaction data base
held by Health Canada.
Only by filing an Access to Information request with the specific lot number of
a vaccine, is it possible to obtain limited vaccine reaction information.

Countries that
have less aggressive vaccine schedules have lower mortality rates of
children under 5 years old (worldwide, Canada rates 28, the US at 36 ranking
behind such countries has Iceland, Sweden, Singapore, Japan ,Czech
Republic, Korea, South, and Switzerland )§

An independent study showed that
vaccinated children aren’t has healthy as unvaccinated children, and the more
vaccines they have gotten the sicker they are (auto-immune, asthma, allergies,
ear infections, diabetes, cancer etc).§

Many doctors have voiced concerns about
vaccines and some advise against them.§

When a vaccine is being tested, pharmaceutical
companies will only make announcements if they find what they are looking for. For
instance, if they are looking for links to autism but find that the vaccine causes
asthma and encephalitis, the report will read “No link to Autism”.§

In Canada,
vaccination for children is not compulsory. In all Canadian provinces and
territories, the right to fully informed consent and right to refuse
vaccination are guaranteed by the Constitutional Charter of Rights and
Freedoms. In three provinces, Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba,
parents who refuse any or all vaccinations simply fill in a form, have it
stamped by a notary, and deliver it to their child’s school. Schools
cannot refuse admission to any child on the basis of vaccination status.

As
some of you know my children are a wonder of science. Not only are they
the result of IVF but they were then born premature and spent the first
5 weeks of their lives in the hospital. I was asked by Kate of modernalternativemama to write about that experience for her Healthy Pregnancy Series. You can see the article on her site here .

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Again a contributing article for Modernalternativemama. This time on the struggles of being....well....a Modern Alternative Mama!!. Here is part 1
and here is part 2

About Me

I have been a writer for as long as I remember – stories, diaries, letters and notes that got passed under desks. Now this is the tale of learning to homestead in the big city, attempting to raise a family in a clean and nutritious way, trying be a great mom, a good wife, a helpful friend and contributing world citizen and how to quickly recover from the epic failures of trying all the above. This is my Life as a Mama, Gluten Free Recipe Developer, Food Writer and Wife